Winsford??!

Afternoon Mummies! We're considering a potential relocation from Spoth East to North. We're currently looking North West in an around Altrincham but wonder if anyone can tell us what Winsford is like to live/raise family...walk dog?! x

Hi - Winsford is not really near Altrincham. Personally you would have to pay me to move to Winsford, its grim IMHO.

Depending on budget look at Hale, Altrincham, Bowden, Wilmslow, Knutsford and everywhere in between. Much better for raising kids (school wise) lots of green areas and parks, lots to do as a family etc.

No specific reason, we've just started to look and properties keep popping up in Winsford..Husband will still need to travel South and we have family in and around North West...We currently live surroubded by beautiful woodlands and greeness (?!) and don't want to lose that....

No, I've never noticed any nice bits to Winsford. At best, you could say it is 'ok'. Not high on the beautiful woodlands and greeness scale. Nantwich is better. But really, Ferris has hit the nail on the head.

Winsford suffers from fairly high levels of deprivation because it is an overspill town from Liverpool. It isn't somewhere I would chose to bring children up in when there are other choices. it is close to countryside but there are lots of other places to chose from If you need easy commuting to SE then south Warrington pretty good. Look at Appleton and Stockton Heath. Close to M6 and train less than 2hrs to London. 30mins from Manchester and Liverpool. Stockton Heath has a thriving village centre. Lots of restaurants Great schools without the grammar competition found in Altrincham altho children from stockton heath do sometimes get into the altrincham schools. House priced quite high but more affordable than altrincham Great walks in the locality for children and dogs! Definitely worth a look.

Whereabouts in Cheshire do you want to be? Good for M6, M62, Airports, Manchester, Chester, Liverpool etc. Are well-regarded secondary schools important, do you want urban or rural etc...

Winsford is cheap and in my view not all that attractive to an outsider. Altrincham is more upmarket, much better schooling, good links with Manchester, but the centre is not what it was, despite recent attempts to inject a bit of life/money. Altrincham is very overpriced if you don't want Trafford schools.

Bowdon, Hale and Bramhall are upmarket suburbia (Bramhall less so than the other two). Hale is very Range Rover Sport HSE/sunglasses indoors/high life on credit cards, but has very pleasant residential areas and a great position for motorways, airport, rail > Manc, short walk to Alt for tram.

If you want Trafford schools but can't afford Hale/Bowdon then you're likely to look at Timperley/Sale. You wouldn't choose them if not for the schools.

Knutsford is an upmarket, smart, attractive small town with Tatton Park (deer etc). Great for the M6, good for the airport but on the slow non-electrified Manchester-Chester train line. It is not a good location if you need mainline rail. It sits under the flight path - has a fair bit in common with Richmond although bigger.

Wilmslow, Bollington, Alderley Edge, Prestbury, Poynton are all considered desirable areas north of the A537 and east of the M6. Whether they appeal will depend on your priorities.

Appleton & Grappenhall South of Warrington are well-regarded. The main downside is that your local town in Warrington which is not as well thought of..

Plenty of nice places South of those I've mentioned (Holmes Chapel, Nantwich) as well as West of the M6 (around Delamere, Tarporley, Tattenhall etc) but it all depends what you are looking for and in which area.

Winsford not great. Nor is Warrington - it has some nice areas (Stockton Heath/Appleton) but if I ever have to travel in the area I find the traffic particularly bad and the town centre isn't great.Chester is very nice, as are the other villages/small towns mentioned.

I spotted the thread title and just had to pop in to say NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

DH worked in Winsford for 5 years - it is extremely grim.

We lived in Chester for that same time and I love the city but in 5 years we had our car(s) stolen from our driveway twice. One of those times they broke into the house to steal the keys, so I guess that's a burglary as well. And no, we didn't live in Blacon, before anyone asks!

I went to school in Altrincham and grew up from 5-18yrs old in Sale. Liked both but preferred Altrincham. Haven't been back to either for >10yrs though, so they've probably changed a lot!

It is really dull. DP's family live near all round there. Winsford is a dump, and Northwich and round there is full of entirely white primary schools with stepford wives pulling up in 4 x 4s. When the nephews come to visit us in the big city, they point and shout at anyone black/Asian they see. DP fled asap to Manchester.

It depends what you're looking for. Congleton has some nice surroundings, but for me starts to feel more like Stoke/Staffs territory (it's not of course, it's firmly in Cheshire) and I like both Manchester and Chester as 'local' cities, but am much less keen on Stoke as my local shopping place.

Pretty much everywhere (inc. Winsford) has something going for it, but each part of Cheshire has something different. Is the mainline (for South) trainline important? If so then Congleton has that mix of green surrounds and good train links. It wouldn't be my pick, but that's because my priorities are more 'green areas but within 30 mins of Cheshire or Manchester'.